States refuse to budge on NDIS rollout plan

The national disability insurance scheme will roll out on its previously agreed timetable, after the states rebuffed an Abbott government move they believed aimed to slow it down.

A meeting of the Council of Australian Governments on Friday said that all governments “remain committed to the full-scheme rollout of the NDIS, which will be informed by the important lessons being learnt from trials".

The federal government had earlier indicated to the states it would put up a proposal for a COAG-sponsored review of the scheme, which several states saw as a move that would slow down the rollout and possibly give more control over the management of the scheme to Canberra.

But after public signals from a number of state premiers that they would not contemplate such a delay, Prime Minister
Tony Abbott
did not put the review proposal forward.

ACT Chief Minister
Katy Gallagher
said it was “very important that first ministers were able to [confirm the rollout] as it stands now, with the information we have available, [and] the timetable as agreed will continue".

“There has been some speculation, so from my point of view, trying to get providers in and packages out, that was the important message because we are all in different stages of recalibrating our systems."

New figures released this week show the average cost of care packages under the NDIS have fallen in the third quarter of trial operations despite the number of people in the scheme doubling.

The average package cost is now $34,000, down from $40,500 at the end of December, and below the funding expectation of $35,000. About $107 million of support will flow to participants in 2013-14, within the funding envelope of $152 million for 2013-14.